Music Popcast

A new album from Jay-Z, documentaries about Sean Combs and Dr. Dre, and the death of Prodigy have stirred new thinking about older artists

Fanaticism about this Korean genre is on the rise in the United States, but it hasn’t cracked mainstream pop culture

SoundCloud rap is a raw, rowdy, rebellious movement fueled by young rappers looking outside the genre for inspiration.

Three female pop stars, three different approaches: a conversation about their new albums, on Popcast.

Our pop music critics are not fans of record anniversaries, but 50 years after the creation of “Sgt. Pepper,” there are still lessons to be learned from the album.

“Despacito” is the first Spanish-language song to top the chart since “Macarena,” but there are many more interesting shifts in Latin pop today.

Music fests are ubiquitous, but only some are curated well enough to be thrilling. And there’s the Fyre Festival.

The One Direction member and the pop-blues poster boy have a few things in common.

One of the most impressive rock bands working in the mainstream has taken a left turn. Where is Paramore headed, and how did it inspire scores of artists?

The singer-songwriter’s new album is a low-fi exploration of extreme emotions. How does it relate to her earlier hits, and how did she get here?

He’s a rapper, a social media phenomenon, the guy yelling “ya” on Migos’s hit “Bad and Boujee.” What’s the secret of Uzi’s success?

The two rappers recall an earlier time in the genre’s history, in terms of aesthetics and politics. How do they fit in today?

In three years, the duo has had several hits while offending all sorts of people. What does its sound say about EDM?

Kamasi Washington and some Los Angeles musicians are producing vital recordings, but N.E.A. funding is uncertain. A conversation about the state of jazz.

His release isn’t an album or a mixtape, but a playlist — a move that could position him to shift the music industry once again.

He wrote the guitar licks, told the clever stories, duckwalked across the stage and forever changed popular music

Streaming figures into chart positions now, a fact that has started yielding some very odd results.

The British singer/songwriter is a record-smashing superstar, but he still plays the spurned lover. How does he do it?

A panel discusses Migos, Lil Yachty and more of the city’s budding stars on Popcast.

The city synonymous with the country music business is in transition. How is it dealing with rapid change, and the Trump era? A panel discusses on Popcast.

It was an awards show filled with flubs, tear, apologies and protests. The New York Times pop music writers discuss Adele, Beyoncé, Chance the Rapper and more on Popcast.

The New York Times pop team debates whether Sturgill Simpson will pull out a surprise victory in a night stacked with Adele vs. Beyoncé face-offs.

The current political climate doesn’t come up even once during the latest Popcast, a conversation about Japandroids, the Menzingers and the state of rock.

The toast of Hollywood has divided our culture writers. Two of the movie’s boosters go to battle with two of its critics in this week’s Popcast.

He brought soul and hip-hop into the White House like no president before him. A discussion of Mr. Obama’s most powerful musical moments, on this week’s Popcast.